Tag Archives: art

This weekend there’s a wee exhibition opening in Glasgow. When I say wee I mean that all the art is postcard size, as with each artist submitting up to three pieces it’s certainly not going to be small in any … Continue reading →

With over 200 artists exhibiting in around 75 venues across Glasgow for Glasgow International there was so much opportunity to get lost in art this April.

Those of you who follow my blog will know I’ve declared 2016 the year of fun and I certainly had fun going round the various exhibitions.

I loved all the textiles on show. From skateboarding clams to weaving and national identity it all made me smile.

I surprised myself by enjoying The Circus Between Worlds which was a selection of performances pieces created by artists working in Glasgow and Newcastle . Normally I steer away from performance art but I was curious to see Helen Shaddock‘s piece. Sometimes it’s good to things that scare you just a wee bit.

The festival certainly helped feed my imagiation.

Some exhibitions are on until 22nd May so there’s still some time to catch them.

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Last weekend, along with a friend I escaped Glasgow and headed to Newcastle upon Tyne to see Newcastle Universities MFA Summer Show and especially Helen Shaddock‘s new work.

I’m a bit shocked that I’ve not introduced you to her work before. We both share a love of maps and paper and it has been been fascinating to see her work progress over the years. We may work in very different ways and while she is definitely an artist and I’m more of an artisan (someone who works with their hands) her work has inspired me on numerous occasions. Her love of colour and fascination with form is amazing and never fails to inspire me. Earlier this year she left Glasgow to start the Master of Fine Art course in Newcastle and this was my first chance to see how her latest work.

Along with other first, second year students and some Ph.d students they’ve put on an impressive summer show at the Hatton Gallery. Here’s a taster of Helen’s work

If you’re in Newcastle please seek it out. As you can see here (hint: click on the pictures to get more info) there is such a diversity in work, practice and use of space not only for the artist but for you the viewer. You need to explore the whole building to find all the artists sometimes with rooms hiding round corners or opening up at the top of narrow staircases. At the time Helen asked me if I thought there were similarities in their work. I didn’t think so, but retrospectively I’d have to say movement is the key. Not just because you can see they are on an artistic journey but because time/movement is an element of each piece whether by design or through serendipity.

Apart from Helen’s work the other stand outs for me were Paul Martin Hughes’ kinetic sculpture which had an amazing hypnotic rhythm to it. Mirela Bistran’s textiles and naturally dyed work and Yein Son’s Noctarine 3.12.

Have you been to The Glad Cafe on Glasgow’s sunny southside? If not GO! As well as some fabulous events it is a relaxing place to have lunch or meet friends for a chat. There’s another reason you might want … Continue reading →

queens flyer I’m one excited (& nervous) gal as last weekend I dropped off my piece for an exhibition at the Virginia Gallery(*) in Glasgow’s Merchant City. Ian and Drew, the owners, thought they would celebrate the queen’s jubilee in … Continue reading →

I know I’ve seemed quiet this year but I’ve been busy…honest I have. Currently I’m making for sheer enjoyment and just enjoying embroidering and knitting. I’ve also taken part in the Farewell to the Miracle exhibition at Make It Glasgow. … Continue reading →

There was a wonderful book event held over Friday and Saturday this weekend in Glasgow called Glasgow International Artists Bookfair (http://giab.org.uk) where art met bookbinding in an amazing way.

I love the feel of a book and am definitely sold on the way one is presented compared with another but never really thought about how they are put together.

This weekend was an eye opener as there were so many styles of books on display. From tiny to huge, journals to novels. Like most visitors I was drawn to the large books with creatures coming out of every page like an adult version of a pop-up book. The Jacob’s Ladder style is also fascinating.

So it was with a bit of in trepidation I booked up for a taster workshop on basic single book binding. The session was run by Owl & Lion of Edinburgh (http://www.owlandliongallery.com) and the hour & a half just ran away.

We were taken through the process of preparing the book (we made mini notebooks) and then shown 4 different ways to bind them. It was amazing to hear that when learning their art a master binder will make the students cut paper all day to learn the technique; this can last years and only when the master is happy can they progress to book binding machines!

As I enjoy sewing this was fun and we ended up with 4 small booklets and I think I’d like to learn more about this craft. It would be lovely to give friends personal notebooks, play with materials and threads as well as to use for displaying sample work.

So I’m going to look at my pennies and seriously think about doing their short course as it would be lovely to try some of the other techniques like Japanese Stab Binding and traditional leather binding.

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I’m feeling rank with the cold this weekend so I want to get all cosy and think of inspiring artists.

The first one to come to mind is Frida Kahlo. Her life is well documented so I won’t go into any detail other than to ask if you’ve read her diary? When I say read it’s also so visual I have it by my bedside just to pickup and flick through.

I love her primitive/folk style which has more impact than if she had tried other styles of art that were popular at the time. In fact why don’t I just let you breath in her work

I hope you can see why I find her work so amazing. The depth of colour, warmth but also pain is present in all her work. Frida Kahlo also has a determination that few of us can match.

I can also recommend the Angels of Anarchy exhibition at Manchester Art Galleryhttp://www.manchestergalleries.org/angelsofanarchy/ . Ok the price tag is £6 (£4 conc) but I spent several hours there and could have done longer if time had allowed. Here’s how the art gallery describes it:

Explore Angels

Angels of Anarchy is the first major exhibition in Europe to explore the crucial role that women artists played in the surrealist art movement.

The exhibition features over 150 artworks, including paintings, photography, sculpture and surreal objects, created by three generations of artists from around the globe.

The 32 artists are some of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century, including Frida Kahlo, Lee Miller, Meret Oppenheim and Leonora Carrington. These were radical, revolutionary women whose work still inspires, and sometimes shocks, today.

The exhibition is divided into five themes. Find out more about the exhibition themes by either following the link below or clicking on the images to the left.

Now back to me…what d’u think? Fancy it? From sculpture to paintings, books to old cine film there is so much to indulge in and inspire you.

Well, I’m off to make another hot water bottle and climb back into bed.

NB As wonderful as the internet is as an aid it is not always so easy to attribute photographs to the correct person. So I would like to say I did not take any of the pics and sorry, I really hope I haven’t infringed on your rights. If I have used any of your work please let me know and I will attribute it properly.

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As well as blogging about my work as a way to work out what I want to do next I also enjoy getting inspiration from other bloggers, artists and crafters. Once I work out how to add a list of blogs I love I’ll add them to this and share them with you.

There are two who have inspired me for my latest sample. The first is a Glasgow based artist called Helen Shaddock. She has done a series of work with circles and I love the way there is a structure but within it is some randomness. In July she put some of her rough drafts for the work on her blog http://helenshaddock.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-2009.html

So back to my sample. As you probably already know I really love texture as much if not more than shapes and have combined both in a piece of sample work I have just finished which I’ve just entitled circles. Through simple manipulation of the material by using different stitching techniques the piece is transformed.

Here are some close-ups of the work

I’m quite pleased with how it turned out especially as i had a bit of a nightmare trying to stop the voile from fraying too much before I finished.

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After a long time thinking about it I’ve finally taken the plunge and am now selling on-line. It’s at the scary, nervous, exciting stage as I’ve listed some items and hope to do one more every day over the next week or so.

knitted teal brooch

I’ve chosen two internet sites to sell from. The first is ETSY http://bit.ly/18KMExwhich has to be the mother of all sites for crafters who want a worldwide market. The other is a relatively new British site call MISI http://bit.ly/16b8YW but is rapidly gaining momentum.

tartan heart brooch

As all my pieces are unique there are different items on each site and I am also joined by my dad on ETSY. I love his pressed flower pictures and cards and would urge you to have a look. I will blog on them separately soon but in the meantime here is a close up of one of them.

close up with a pansy

So what next? Well, there is the marketing which will basically mean letting everyone I know see my shops and hope that through that and word of mouth (or is that word of the internet?) know they can hopefully enjoy my crafty creations.

Anyway, what are you waiting for? Stop reading this and have a look at my shops then let me know what you think.